Despite the media buzz about the rise of the metrosexual male, many men are still a little uncertain about preparing for their big day.

If the man on the verge of walking down the aisle usually avoids the “personal grooming” section at the supermarket at all costs, it can be a difficult subject to broach. After all, his six brothers all have hair growing out of their nose and spent the night before their wedding covered in feathers and chained to a bike rack…

To warm him up to the idea of some personal TLC, start dropping the following ideas into your pre-wedding discussions:

Getting His Beauty Sleep

One of the things many a man sacrifices as his wedding approaches is his beauty sleep.

Caught up in the whirl of male bonding that is often inspired by the imminent end of bachelorhood, he can quickly become sleep deprived. And as my sleep therapist once put it, catching your zzzzzs is not like building a bank account. You can’t bank on get twice as much sleep the day after an all-night party and feel refreshed. Regular, plentiful and relaxed sleep is the only thing to ward off the black circles and pouchy eyes.

Some quick tips for getting great sleep:

• Rule out caffeine after four o’clock
• Cut down on alcohol and fatty foods
• Get into a routine of sleeping at the same time
• Have a hot shower or relaxing bath just before bed
• Keep the bedroom only for sleep and sex - no late-night TV

Meditating On It

Getting married is a major life change and a great time to reflect on your life, goals and achievements.

If he is a little unsure about formal meditation programs, grab some relaxing CDs or indulge in relaxing walks.

The focus is to get some inner peace - great to stockpile before the emotional roller-coaster of a wedding!

Trading Favors

While all of your attention may be on selecting your wedding favors, a good way to get him relaxed and ready for his big day is to share some mutual pampering.

Despite his current slip-slop-slap approach to skin care, he probably has cast more than one inquisitive glance at all of your potions and creams.

Spend an afternoon giving his a facial or a foot bath and then talk him through returning the favor.

At the very least you will save some money and he will develop a new appreciation for your commitment to beauty!

Seeking Professional Help

If none of the above appeal to the man on the verge of marriage, then book him an afternoon at a day spa.

By putting him into the hands of a professional, he should be more inclined to drop his skeptical act and relax into a pair of experienced hands.

Whether it is your own wedding - or you are merely paying for it - there will be occasions when you run up against a very firm difference of opinion.

Such conflicts, if not resolved, can blow out more spectacularly than the wedding budget.

One friend’s disagreement with her future mother-in-law over the traditional frosted icing or profiteroles caused such bad feeling, that when it came time to lovingly feed her new husband a slice, she upended the whole top tier of the cake over his head!

But before you start having nightmares involving grenade-like profiteroles, try applying the following two tried and tested negotiation techniques.

1. A.P.E

No, this doesn’t have anything to do with the guy in the gorilla suit at your bachelorette party… It is a simple acronym for Acknowledge, Paraphrase and Explore.

In other words, when a sticking point arises or tempers flare, try cooling things down by:

1. Acknowledging their point of view. Despite your childhood dream of a wedding in a big city hotel, a marquee by the river is a definite possibility for the wedding reception.
2. Paraphrasing their point of view, to reveal that you have listened to their concerns and understand their issues. The marquee is romantic, cost-effective and big enough to ensure the thirty-three cousins can all attend.
3. Exploring a middle ground between your viewpoints. While the marquee sounds wonderful, the river tends to flood mid-winter, so how about a glassed-in pavilion up-stream, that just happens to back onto a luxurious five-star resort?

If APEing merely results in a lot of chest-thumping and teeth baring, try:

2. Barter

This is where you need to dig deep to your distant roots as a horse-trader and recognise that everyone can end up happy if you are all willing to trade.

The beauty of the barter is that a win-win is highly likely.

Your mother-in-law wants a full nuptial mass but you were hoping for a civil ceremony on the beach? To get what you want, what are you willing to trade? Would you go so far as agreeing to wear her five meter veil with the rosebuds around the crown?

Just keep in mind your B.A.T.N.A. - another acronym which means your “Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement”. In technical terms it is “the alternative action that will be taken should your proposed agreement with another party result in an unsatisfactory agreement or when an agreement fails to materialize.”

In other words, if your mother-in-law won’t take the trade, what is your alternative action? Another trade? Giving in? Moving to France?